Only hours after New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D.) announced he would restore the voting rights of some 35,000 individuals convicted of felonies, journalists and progressives castigated the move on social media as being politically calculated.

The governor made the announcement Wednesday while addressing the annual convention of the National Action Network, a social justice group founded by Al Sharpton, in New York City. Cuomo, who is facing a spirited challenge for the Democratic nomination for governor from "Sex and the City" actress and political activist Cynthia Nixon, said he decided to move unilaterally, via executive order, after the legislature failed to act on the issue.

Journalists and progressive activists didn't buy the governor's reasoning, with many claiming he only pursued executive action because of Nixon's progressive influence and to ensure an energized left didn't stymie his plans for a third term.

Each day, Cynthia Nixon is winning. She's pushing Cuomo on reuniting the Senate Dems, on LGBT rights, on franchising the formerly incarcerated—she's making him turn so hard, you'd think there was a rich lobbyist to Cuomo's left!

Haris AlicEmail | Full Bio | RSSHaris Alic is a Social Media Writer at the Washington Free Beacon. Prior to joining the staff, Haris worked in communications and government relations at various non-profits. Haris lives in Northern Virginia. His Twitter handle is @realHarisAlic. He can be reached at alic@freebeacon.com.